The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Michigan's Denard Robinson with the second pick in the fifth round. Had they passed on him, the Detroit Lions were apparently planning to take him two picks later, at least that's what NFL.com's Ian Rapoport is reporting. Earlier in the day, the Lions denied that Robinson was going to be their guy in the fifth round, but Rapoport's report contradicts that.

With Robinson off the board, the Lions ended up trading down to the end of the fifth round. They got an extra sixth-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks in the deal, and they later addressed their need for a running back/slot receiver/returner by taking Notre Dame's Theo Riddick with that pick.

If this is true, then the Lions made a mistake by passing on Robinson with their compensatory pick at the end of the fourth round. They used that pick on South Carolina defensive end Devin Taylor, apparently because they thought Robinson would still be there when they went back on the clock five picks later. In hindsight, they probably should have reversed those two picks, although there's obviously no guarantee that Taylor would have still been there when the Lions went back on the clock.

In any case, this just goes to show how tough the draft can be at times. Robinson probably thought he was going to be staying in Michigan to play in the NFL, and the Lions probably thought they were going to get an explosive playmaker from just down the road. Instead, the Jaguars threw a wrench in those plans, and the Lions' risk to wait until the fifth round to take Robinson didn't pay off.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

That article is a good description of how you sometimes have to take risks in not getting your guy and you miss out.

It would have been just as possible for the Jags to take Taylor on that pick since they never added a DE to play the Leo for their new D.

The only reason it's even news is because of Robinson's high profile.

April 28th, 2013, 10:18 am

lionsfanak

5th Round Pick - Traded

Joined: November 15th, 2004, 7:24 amPosts: 1055Location: Alaska

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

Where is the controversy? He was gone and they didn't take him.

April 28th, 2013, 12:33 pm

thelomasbrowns

Player of the Year - Offense

Joined: August 24th, 2010, 9:54 pmPosts: 2867

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

lionsfanak wrote:

Where is the controversy? He was gone and they didn't take him.

Was just anticipating the people who would say we should've taken him a couple picks before the with the 4th round comp selection.

_________________"Good teams don't worry about a whole lot of stuff. They travel, they play, they win. And it doesn't matter where they go, what the time block is, all those kinds of things. They never seem to bother teams that play well, and we want to be one of those teams." -Jim Caldwell

April 28th, 2013, 1:42 pm

Killwill25

Rookie Player of the Year

Joined: March 5th, 2009, 8:42 pmPosts: 2422Location: Brooklyn, NY

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

him + ace sanders on the field together will definetley stress out defenses jax can finally nail the QB spot down. id rather have him over that Notre Dame scrub

him + ace sanders on the field together will definetley stress out defenses jax can finally nail the QB spot down. id rather have him over that Notre Dame scrub

It takes good college receivers 2-3 years to understand route running and how to create separation in the NFL. Both guys may make some plays for the Jags this season, but they won't be putting any strain on defenses. Ace will probably see the field a good amount as a compliment to Shorts and Blackmon, but he will need to beat out Massaqoui who they added this year. Robinson is going to be a gimmick player his first season and I could see him getting some work out of the backfield. These guys will be limited on offense their first year and the QBs in Jacksonville will limit the whole team.

That "scrub" from ND could easily knock Leshoure or Bell off the roster with his versatility and better ball skills.

April 28th, 2013, 2:40 pm

DJ-B

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: April 5th, 2007, 5:51 pmPosts: 2578

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

Robinson was drafted to play KR & RB for them pr the Jags , so i agree. They may split him out from the backfield a few times, but probably most as a diversion. Hell do OK as akR and RB on handoffs, pitches/etc but wont do much more.

Robinson was drafted to play KR & RB for them pr the Jags , so i agree. They may split him out from the backfield a few times, but probably most as a diversion. Hell do OK as akR and RB on handoffs, pitches/etc but wont do much more.

I'm betting he is going to be used very rarely as a KR in his first year. Ace is a better return specialist and it may take some time for Robinson to consistently field kicks and punts. Next year when Ace has gotten better as a receiver and Robinson has had more time to learn I think you'll see a transition so Ace can stay fresher on offense.

If the Jags ever find a QB they could be a pretty good team under Gus Bradley.

April 28th, 2013, 4:42 pm

DJ-B

Pro Bowl Player

Joined: April 5th, 2007, 5:51 pmPosts: 2578

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

I agree, keep forgetting the also grabbed, Ace, 2 very similar athletes but with Ace far ahead in his development as WR and KR. I think thats the reason they said Robinson willb e a RB, is so they can get them both on the field at the same time. With a good QB and a year or 2 to develop you could have a poor mans version of the offense Philly was able to run with Desean jackson & Jeremy Maclin both in the game. Scary quick speed ferom 2 smaller players.

April 28th, 2013, 4:54 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

I'm glad he's not a Lion and I predicted that he would have been our 5th round pick and we wouldn't have traded down had he been available.

The only role I see him playing well in the NFL is KR/PR, but I don't even think he'll be a good KR/PR guy. For some reason he plays slow.

April 28th, 2013, 9:37 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 10004Location: Dallas

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

Come on, the guy doesn't even know how to tie his own shoes. Given I'm not sure Ziggy knows how to put on his equipment yet, I'm not sure the Lions would have even made it out of their own tunnel.

That article is a good description of how you sometimes have to take risks in not getting your guy and you miss out.

It would have been just as possible for the Jags to take Taylor on that pick since they never added a DE to play the Leo for their new D.

The only reason it's even news is because of Robinson's high profile.

Every team sets their draft board, and there is always the chance that a guy a team is in love with goes somewhere else. The Lions were "the team" that got the guy everyone else wanted when they drafted Delmas. This year, it was the Jags. Plus, the Lions got a chance to coach Robinson at the Senior Bowl, so if he was all that impressive, he would have been higher on their board.

Reading about the number of players that went to the Senior Bowl and ended up getting drafted, I think that's significant.

_________________If God isn't a Lions fan, then why is the sky Honolulu Blue?

April 29th, 2013, 11:34 am

yostevo

Heisman Winner

Joined: March 28th, 2005, 7:50 pmPosts: 821Location: Burbs of De-town

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

No controversy. He's a major project for any team and did not deserve a 4th rd. selection. This coming from a major Uof M fan.

He or his U of M coaches made a huge tactical mistake for his pro career by not switching him to a slot receiver or h-back type for his senior season. I'm confident it would have helped the Wolverines as well to have committed to Gardner and the more conventional pro sets they want now.

Denard just doesn't have the skill set yet. By the time he learns a position, he might only have a 2-3 year window of true production at best IMO. Good luck Denard. You are going to need it.

April 29th, 2013, 1:08 pm

regularjoe12

Def. Coordinator – Teryl Austin

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4202Location: Davison Mi

Re: Let the Controversy Begin: Lions almost took Denard

yostevo wrote:

No controversy. He's a major project for any team and did not deserve a 4th rd. selection. This coming from a major Uof M fan.

He or his U of M coaches made a huge tactical mistake for his pro career by not switching him to a slot receiver or h-back type for his senior season. I'm confident it would have helped the Wolverines as well to have committed to Gardner and the more conventional pro sets they want now.

Denard just doesn't have the skill set yet. By the time he learns a position, he might only have a 2-3 year window of true production at best IMO. Good luck Denard. You are going to need it.